The explosion in Rahova: “There are no indications that the event was generated by explosive material. The causes of the deflagration have not yet been established” – prosecutors insist

The Prosecutor's Office attached to the Bucharest Court of Appeal reports that the investigation into the explosion in a block of flats in the Rahova neighborhood continues on Monday and Tuesday with on-site investigations, involving prosecutors, police, firefighters, forensic experts and specialists from INSEMEX, but that up to this point there are no conclusions regarding the causes of the deflagration, which will be determined by specialized technical expertise.

“At this moment of the investigations, there are no conclusions regarding the causes of the explosion, these will be determined by specialized technical expertise, and upon their completion, information of public interest will be communicated. (…) Related to the procedural documents carried out in the case, we specify that, when the circumstances allow, we will be able to provide additional details, and as the investigations progress, we will inform the public opinion. For the smooth development of investigation, we ask the media to avoid speculations regarding the causes of the event or assigning responsibility to certain persons or institutions. We also make it clear that there were no data or indications in the sense that the event under investigation was generated by the presence or use of explosive material”, informs the Prosecutor's Office in a statement broadcast on Monday and quoted by Agerpres.

The Prosecutor's Office statement about the “explosive material” comes after conspiracy theories were launched online and on social networks, with false narratives according to which the explosion in Rahova was caused by the placement of “C-4 bombs”.

Numerous forensic experts are participating in the investigation

The investigation continued on Monday with the on-site investigation, being co-opted judicial police officers from the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police – the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Forensic Service, the Homicide Service and the Homicide and Injuries Service from the General Police Directorate of the Municipality of Bucharest, as well as specialists from the National Forensic Institute of the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police, ISU Bucharest – Ilfov, INSEMEX Petroşani, the National Inspectorate of Forensic Expertise, the State Inspectorate in Construction.

Also, at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the examination and identification activities of the three deceased persons were carried out, and the conclusions of the forensic genetic expertise ordered in the case were obtained.

On Tuesday, the on-site research activities will be continued in the presence of ISC specialists, respecting their recommendations considering the condition of the building.

In parallel, hearings will be conducted of people who have knowledge of the circumstances and how the event took place.

The prosecutors have opened a criminal case in rem, in which investigations are being carried out for the commission of the crime of culpable destruction that resulted in a disaster, in connection with the explosion that took place on Friday morning in a block of flats in the Rahova district, resulting in three deaths.

The file was initially opened by the Public Prosecutor's Office attached to the 5th District Court, but was taken over by the Public Prosecutor's Office attached to the Bucharest Court of Appeal.

The explosion took place in an eight-story building on Strada Vicina in Capitală, and as a result of the explosion, the 5th and 6th floors of the building collapsed. The gust of the explosion was so strong that it broke the windows of a nearby high school.